Astounded

I guess I am naive. I`ve been in Japan for 22 years and I think I know her pretty well. But she is like a woman you are married to, that never ceases to surprise you.

I never imagined that food would be sold, let alone
distributed widely after a nuclear accident. I expected more from Japan. You fool me once…..shame on me….

Radiation concerns for Japan’s beef supply intensify

National Jul. 18, 2011 – 06:44AM JST ( 23 )

TOKYO —

Concerns about radiation-tainted beef intensified Sunday in Japan as officials struggled to determine the scope of the problem and prevent further contamination of the meat supply.

The government prepared to suspend cattle shipments from Fukushima amid a growing tally of cows that fed on rice straw containing high levels of radioactive cesium. The development underscores the widespread and still-unfolding impact of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant.

The straw was harvested from rice paddies in the prefecture after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged cooling systems and triggered the release of radiation from the plant. The region’s agricultural sector was among the hardest-hit as radiation seeped into water, affecting spinach and other leafy vegetables.

Distributors nationwide bought meat from the exposed cows, and some has already reached consumers.

Major supermarket chain operator Aeon Co. says more than 703 pounds (319 kilograms) of that meat ended up at 14 of its outlets in Tokyo and nearby prefectures. Between late April and mid-June, customers at those stores bought beef that came from a farm in Asakawa, Fukushima where cattle ate radiation-trained straw, according to the company.